


From The Outside

by JB Harris (LizAna)



Series: The Janto Files [9]
Category: Torchwood
Genre: Angst, Banter, Canon Compliant, Episode: Big Finish Audio Drama 1.1: Torchwood: The Conspiracy, Episode: Big Finish Audio Drama 1.5: Torchwood: Uncanny Valley, Established Relationship, Kissing, M/M, What Happened After
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-17
Updated: 2018-04-17
Packaged: 2019-04-24 09:47:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,483
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14352969
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LizAna/pseuds/JB%20Harris
Summary: Filling in some gaps about what was going on with the team while Jack was off on his own chasing the Committee. Chap 1 from Ianto's POV picks up at the end of The Conspiracy when Jack first goes on the run. Chap 2 from Jack's POV picks up at the end of Uncanny Valley when Jack finally realises he needs the team's help. Major spoilers for both audios. Story should still make sense even if you haven't listened to the audios.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> From what I could glean, these two audios were set sometime during season two... although I'm now wondering if they actually slot in between season 2 and CoE because Jack mentions Gwen and refers to the team, but I suppose he could have just been talking about Gwen and Ianto. Anyway, I wrote it thinking it was well after Jack got back from the year that never was, but just before Owen died the first time.

They’d been halfway through dinner when the call interrupted them. Nothing fancy, takeaway from a Thai place not far from Ianto’s flat. He’d watched as Jack had jumped up from the couch and started pacing, so he’d paused the movie, deducing from Jack’s half of the conversation that the blogger who had so excitedly stumbled onto the worst kept secret in Cardiff that was Torchwood was now being held by someone wanting to lure Jack out.

This whole thing with the Committee was really starting to get to him. Give him rampaging aliens or angry weevils any day and at best he’d get mildly nervous if they happened to be out numbered. It was the cloak-and-dagger stuff was that really freaked him out. But Jack was determined to uncover who was behind the Committee and bring them down. _By any means necessary_ , so Jack had told him with that steely look in his eye that meant there was no changing his mind.

“I have to go,” Jack said as soon as he was off the phone, already grabbing his coat.

“Be careful,” he murmured, helping Jack settled the old military coat on his shoulders. Jack turned around and planted a quick kiss on his mouth, so fast he didn’t even have time to react before Jack was running out the door, slamming it behind him.

Ianto ran a hand through his hair, going into the kitchen to take his phone off the charger so he could keep it close in case Jack needed him in a hurry. Not likely, considering Jack seemed hell bent on taking down the Committee singlehandedly. He’d decided it was too dangerous to risk the entire team, and they needed to take care of regular Torchwood business anyway. The rift wouldn’t let up just because Jack had decided to go up against some shady organisation that apparently wanted to end the world in some long-term strategy which involved manipulating governments, economies, media and everything in between.

He returned to their food, but wasn’t hungry any longer and ended up poking at it more than eating. The next phone call came a bit over half an hour later. Whoever was behind the night’s events had killed the kid Jack had gone to save, making it look like a suicide. Jack was upset, he could hear it in his voice, the anger and the pain. Jack was now on his way to confront an ex-journalist turned famous conspiracy theorist about the murder.

Ianto doubted it was a good idea, but knew it was pointless saying anything, with Jack as wound up as he was, there wouldn’t be any dissuading him. He also wanted to offer to go with him, but he didn’t need to yet again hear the spiel about how dangerous the Committee was and that the rest of the team needed to stay out of it. Instead, he told Jack to call him again if he needed anything then went to put the containers of cold takeaway in the fridge. He paced a few laps around his apartment, too restless to even think about sleeping when he knew Jack was out there, dealing with a dead young man and a dangerous conspiracy all on his own.

Finally, he texted Jack to say he was going into the hub. He got the feeling that however the night ended, he was going to end up at work doing _something_. Dealing with bodies. Covering up suspicious deaths. Running interreference with the local constabulary.

He got no reply, not that he expected one.

At the hub, he checked the rift monitor out of habit, checked Myfanwy and Janet, as well as a few other weevils passing through the vaults, then went up to Jack’s office. He switched on the desk lamp above the coral and then sat in Jack’s chair, pulling across a stack of paperwork he’d left for Jack earlier in the day. He didn’t know why he bothered. Most of the time these days, he simply ended up forging Jack’s signature before he filed them away.

The next call came in on the hub’s phone line and woke him up from where he’d apparently fallen asleep on the paperwork. He sat up, but the phone had obviously already been ringing for a while, because the answering machine clicked on before he could even stand up. It was Jack. He couldn’t understand the words from here, but he’d recognize Jack’s voice anywhere. He hurried out of Jack’s office and caught the end of what he was saying.

“ _So that’s it, guys. That’s why I’m outta here. You’ve all handled things without me in the past, so I am sure you’ll cope. Someone needs to stop them and I figure that someone is me. If they’re already on Earth, then the Committee is everywhere. In every government. In every boardroom. On every TV screen. And I am coming for them_.”

Ianto lurched for the phone, snatching up the receiver.

“Jack?”

All he got in response was a dial tone. He slammed the phone down with a curse and yanked his mobile phone out of his pocket, heart pounding as he speed-dialled Jack’s phone. Jack was leaving. Again. At least this time they’d gotten a sodding message. Progress, he supposed.

“Pick up, Jack. _Pick up_.”

The line connected and he heard Jack answering with a sharp _hello_. The relief hit him so hard, he dropped heavily to sit in the chair by Owen’s workstation.

“Jack, thank god. Where are you?”

“You know I can’t tell you that, Ianto. And as soon as we end this call, I’m ditching this phone. I’m sorry, you won’t be able to call me on it anymore.”

He took a ragged breath, forcing his emotions at bay by sheer force of will and putting Torchwood first. “What do you need me to do?”

“Keep the team together, keep the lights on and the place running. The only reason I can walk away right now is because I know you’re there and you’ve got this.”

“Jack—” He didn’t know what he wanted to say, but his voice caught on the word.

“I know, Ianto. I know.” He could hear the emotion in Jack’s voice now, and it was almost his undoing. “I’ll try to keep in contact with you. But you can’t tell the others. They can’t know, it’s too dangerous. I shouldn’t even be talking to you. The only reason I am is because I—” Jack broke off and for a second Ianto thought the line had gone dead, until he heard Jack taking a long breath as if trying to compose himself. “You might get nothing but days or weeks of silence from me if I think it’s too dangerous. Try not to worry, okay? As soon as I get to the bottom of this mess, I’ll come back.”

“I know you will,” he replied, surprised at how confident his voice sounded about that. But he had to believe it was true. Jack had told him enough times. _I will always come back for you_. “Just, please stay safe.”

Jack gave a quick laugh, but it sounded hollow. “You know nothing can damage me permanently.”

“Not physically, no. But there are worse kinds of damage.” He closed his eyes after the words slipped out, knowing he shouldn’t have said that. It didn’t help anything. “Just look after yourself please. And the coat. I don’t want to have to spend a week repairing it when you get back.”

This time Jack’s laugh was more genuine. “It always comes back to the coat. I’m starting to get the feeling it’s not me you’re in this relationship for.”

“It took you this long to work it out?” he replied in a droll voice, their usual banter working to settle him.

“Ah, Ianto. You wound me.”

“Never,” he murmured, letting a wealth of feeling creep in behind the word.

Jack took in a sharp breath, as if he’d heard the unspoken sentiment loud and clear.

“I have to go. They could be tracing this call. Look after yourself, yeah?”

“Will do, sir.” Distancing himself through the old habit was the only way he’d be able to end the call and let Jack go. “I’ll see you when you return.”

“Good bye, Ianto.”

He tightened his hand around the phone as the line went dead, leaving him sitting alone in the hub once again. Glancing around, memories came rushing at him; those weeks Jack had run off with the Doctor and they’d scrambled to reorganise themselves around the loss, not knowing if or when Jack would come back.

Jack had been right. They’d handled it then; this time they’d handle it even easier. First thing first, though, he needed to get Jack cleared for the suspected murder of the ex-journalist he’d gone to speak with. He started organising a few things, keeping an eye on the time. As soon as it was close enough to morning that he didn’t think he’d be murdered by his fellow team members, he rang around and got everyone to come in.

Once they arrived, he explained what he could, leaving out a whole lot that he knew Jack didn’t want the others to know, and then played them the message Jack had left.

When it was done, there was a few moments of heavy silence while everyone digested what had happened. It wasn’t long, though, before Ianto found himself under the scrutiny of Gwen.

“You know more about this than you’re telling us, Ianto.”

Owen crossed his arms, looking ready to take Gwen’s side, while Tosh sent him a faintly sympathetic look.

“I promise, if there was something I could tell you that would help, I would tell you. But Jack is determined to take the Committee by himself. I don’t like it, but he’s the boss.”

“He’s not just the boss to you, though, is he?” Owen said, pinning him with a hard look. “So cough it up. Where is he?”

“I really don’t know, Owen.” After being awake all night and fighting a constant mental battle to keep his emotions at bay, his temper was much shorter than it usually would be. “Not that it’s any of your business, but Jack and I are quite capable at separating our personal lives from our professional lives. This is Torchwood business and in this instance I’m just another member of the team. He said it was too dangerous for us to know any more, and that includes me.”

“It’s okay, Ianto, we understand.” Tosh set a gentle hand on his arm. “Don’t we, Owen?”

“Yeah, yeah,” he muttered, not looking the least convinced. In fact, neither did Gwen. Great. If they thought he knew something, they wouldn’t drop it. He leaned over to where he’d left a stack of folders on Gwen’s desk.

“We need to get Jack cleared of the murder and clean up the minor mess of exposure this thing has caused. Whitehall are not impressed about Torchwood being splashed all over the place and connected with two highly suspicious deaths.”

“If Whitehall wanted to keep Torchwood a secret, they probably shouldn’t have put Jack Harkness in charge,” Owen said with a shake of his head.

At this, Gwen grinned. “He does love swaggering around announcing _we’re Torchwood_ all the bloody time.”

“Not to mention the SUV with the flashing blue lights and Torchwood plastered all over it,” Owen added.

“And have you noticed that nearly everything in the hub has the logo stamped on it?” Gwen said in reply, clearly warming to the topic.

“Can we focus, please?” he interrupted them loudly before Owen could say anything else. “If we can at least take care of things on this end, it will clear the way for Jack to return without any unnecessary complications when he is ready to come back.”

“Who put you in charge?” Owen grumbled as Gwen finally reached out and took the folders from him.

He arched an eyebrow at the doctor. “Are we really going to have this argument again. Should I just shoot you now to save all the tedious in between stuff?”

Owen gaped at him while Tosh did a terrible job at trying to hide a laugh.

“For the record,” Owen snapped. “The moratorium on people making jokes about Ianto shooting me is at least ten years. And if anyone thinks I’m taking orders from the bloody teaboy, then they’ve got another thing coming.”

Ianto rolled his eyes. He didn’t want to be in charge. Not officially, anyway. Unofficially, however, they all knew this place would fall in a heap if he was gone for more than a day or two. Not that they’d ever admit it.

“I’ll go make the coffee, then, shall I? Being the teaboy and all. You wanted decaf, right Owen?” He walked away from them, easily able to imagine the look the doctor was sending him right now.

When he got to the kitchenette, he took a moment to lean against the bench. It was just on twenty-four hours since he’d slept and he was starting to feel it. Taking a kip on the couch later sounded tempting. As for going down into Jack’s bunker or back to his own flat…?

He straightened and started making the coffees, knowing he was better off keeping himself busy instead of wallowing. Unfortunately, no amount of coffee was going to change the fact that until Jack came home, he’d probably be getting very little sleep in the foreseeable future.


	2. Chapter 2

There were a lot of unpleasant ways to die, but the trauma from being killed in a car accident had to be right up there with the worst. He’d died in a few accidents, but this one took the cake—high speed in an expensive sports car, no seatbelt, homicidal robot hanging onto the outside, ending with him crashing on purpose as a last resort to stop aforementioned homicidal robot.

He’d revived, but his injuries hadn’t finished healing. Despite that, he’d dragged himself out of the mangled wreck, only to find the robot—severed in two separate pieces at the torso—still had enough energy to gloat at him. And right before it’d finally shut down, it’d told him the most disturbing thing about the Committee that he’d heard yet. That someone on Earth had actually _invited_ them here.

He was finally ready to admit that this whole thing was beyond the scope of him being able to handle on his own. Only problem was, he had no phone, it was bucketing down rain and he’d left his car an hour’s walk from where he currently stood. It was times like this he really hated the Doctor for disabling the teleport function on his vortex manipulator. Banning him from time travel he could somewhat understand. But surely a few jumps around the planet every now and then wouldn’t have caused any kinds of temporal paradoxes or space-time anomalies.

With a long sigh, he hiked up the embankment the car had careened down earlier and came up on the dark, deserted road. Wrapping his arms around himself, even though it didn’t help much with the pain from his still healing injuries or the chill soaking through his clothes along with the rain, he started the long walk back to his car.

It seemed to take more than an hour and he’d started wondering if he’d somehow ended up on the wrong road when he finally spotted the car where he’d left it parked in behind a copse of trees. He jogged the last few meters and couldn’t ever remember being so happy to get out of the rain, even though he absolutely soaked the upholstery inside.

He fished around in the glove compartment until he came up with the phone he’d been using for the past few weeks while he’d been trying to flush out the Committee. His thumb automatically started dialling Ianto’s number, but then his chest got tight and he stopped. He should call Ianto first. He’d only managed a few brief text messages and one short call in the last few weeks, and with each one, Ianto’s relief had been obvious, though he remained stoic and utterly professional as always. Except he couldn’t talk to Ianto. Not just yet. Not until he’d completely disconnected himself from everything he’d done, especially in the last few hours.

Instead, he called Gwen, obviously waking her up, but considering she hadn’t heard from him in weeks, she didn’t seem all that upset. He told her what had happened, where he was and what he needed. She assured him it would all be taken care of, and he could hear her hurrying to get dressed even as they finished talking.

Once he’d hung up, he pulled his coat tighter around himself, even though it was soaking wet and covered in an alarming amount of blood. Oh, right. He’d been shot earlier. And thrown out a second storey window. Broken legs were such a pain in the ass to heal.

He released a long sigh and closed his eyes. Now that he’d stopped, he’d become acutely aware or how he ached all over. Even his skin hurt. Dying several times in rapid succession in a variety of ways tended to do that to him. Unbidden, memories from his torture at the hands of the Master threatened to rise up. He snapped his eyes opened and focused out the windscreen, realising he’d fallen into a doze at some point. In the distance on the road, he could just make out flashing blue above a pair of headlights.

A few minutes later, the SUV jerked to a halt next to his car, the team piling out as he climbed out of his car to meet them.

“Jack!” Gwen was in his arms, heedless of how wet and blood-soaked he was. He returned her embrace almost automatically as he met Ianto’s gaze above her head.

His stomach knotted, and he looked away. It wasn’t guilt. He didn’t feel guilty. He’d done what he’d needed to do in order to resolve the situation in the fastest and most effective way possible. But Ianto might not see it that way. It wasn’t like he’d ever tried to hide who he was from Ianto, or pretend to be something he couldn’t or wouldn’t ever be. However, things had been good between them since he’d come back from travelling with the Doctor and he’d taken Ianto out on those dates. Anything he was feeling was more to do with worrying his actions would derail all that, rather than having done anything wrong.

“Jesus, Harkness, aren’t you a right mess.” Owen cast a look over him, seeming like he didn’t know whether to be disgusted or impressed.

“It’s been a long night,” he said by way of explaining. “The wreck is about three miles that way,” he told Gwen, who nodded, looking all ready to take over the situation.

“We’ll take care of the clean-up,” Gwen assured him, before glancing over her shoulder. “Ianto, luv, why don’t you take Jack back to the hub?”

“I’m fine,” he replied tightly. He didn’t mind Gwen taking care of the larger situation, but she certainly didn’t need to manage him as well.

“No offense, Jack, but I don’t think you should be driving.” Gwen crossed her arms and regarded him with a familiar stubborn look. “You’ve already been in one RTC tonight. I doubt you fancy being in a second.”

“Fine,” he conceded, but let her see his displeasure. “Keep me in the loop.”

She sent him a salute that was slightly condescending, before turning and ordering Owen and Tosh back into the SUV.

Ianto walked over, shoulders hunched against the rain, regarding him warily.

“Keys?” was all he asked.

“In the car.” He avoided Ianto’s gaze as he walked around to the passenger side.

Once they were both shut in, Ianto started the car and put on the heater, silently turning the car back towards Cardiff. It wasn’t their usual comfortable or easy silence. This one was loaded with questions and tension neither of them were willing to put words to.

They’d almost made it back to the city limits when he decided the couldn’t take it anymore.

“So you all coped while I was away.”

“As you expected,” Ianto immediately answered. “Found the Committee, did you?”

“Not really,” he muttered. He’d only found more questions. “But I finally realised I couldn’t do it alone any longer.”

Ianto made a disbelieving noise that also managed to sound completely disdainful, like he was telling Jack what an idiot he was without actually saying the words.

“So, what, we’re suddenly expendable? Now you don’t mind putting us in all that danger you kept going on about before?”

He turned to stare at Ianto who kept his gaze trained stubbornly on the road, wondering where all this sudden animosity was coming from. He’d known Ianto wasn’t going to be happy about him pulling the disappearing act again, but at least this time he’d told them. And he’d even kept in contact with Ianto as much as he’d been able to. Against his own better judgement, too.

“Look, Ianto, I’m sorry I had to leave like that—”

Ianto heaved a deep sigh. “That’s not what I’m angry about, Jack.”

That pulled him up short. If not that, then what could possibly have pissed him off so much?

Ianto gave a grim sounding laugh. “You really have no idea, do you?”

“Pull over.”

Ianto pressed his lips together, like he wanted to refuse, but quickly drew the car to the side of the road and put it out of gear before turning to look at him.

“What happened to you this time that was so terrible you had to call Gwen before me, and then could barely look me in the eye when we got there?”

Jack glanced away from his intent stare, wishing he hadn’t told Ianto to stop after all.

“It was nothing.” The words sounded completely false, even to his own ears. “Nothing I want to talk about right here and now, anyway.”

“Jack, look at me.” The words weren’t imploring or an order. Just a simple request he couldn’t deny. Ianto reached over and took his hand. “I just can’t understand how you can have such little regard for your own welfare.”

“Ianto, I can’t die,” he replied in frustration.

“Yes, you can,” Ianto returned, looking equally as aggravated. “You just don’t stay that way. You can pretend with the others that it doesn’t really affect you, but I know different, Jack. I know _you_. Every single one of those deaths, no matter how inconsequential, is another tiny scar on your soul and mind. Individually, those little scars might be impossible to see, but once you add them all up, then the damage is obvious.”

He sucked in a breath, amazed and terrified that Ianto could see him so clearly. No one, not one single person in his entire life had ever recognised the wounds he’d hidden deep inside himself.

“You obviously died, probably more than once in the last few hours,” Ianto continued, voice gentler now. “But it was more than that, you forced yourself to do something else.”

He nodded, not sure if he could say the words, but they needed to be said, and Ianto deserved to hear them.

“The robot—android. The doll or whatever it was. The copy of Neil Redmond. The real Neil had fallen in love with it. Sounds kinda twisted when you say it out loud. He fell in love with himself.”

Ianto gave a quick smile, but squeezed his hand, encouraging him to continue.

“I needed him to shut it down. I knew he had a remote with a kill switch, but I needed to convince him to use it. When NJ—that what he called it—when NJ came home, it was obvious he was interested in me. But it was more than that. He knew what was going on, knew who I really was, and wanted to hurt Neil. I could see the easiest and fastest way to get Neil to use the kill switch on NJ. It was obvious.”

“Jealousy,” Ianto replied, comprehension creeping into his voice.

Jack nodded and stared down at their joined hands. “I knew if I— If we—”

He took a calming breath. The experience hadn’t exactly been bad. Sex came all different ways—it could be an expression of affection, a sharing of souls, a declaration of love, or a good time between friends. But it could also be a tool. And it was a tool he’d learned to wield very effectively.

“We went upstairs. It was a game, I knew it, but it wasn’t until after that I realised the stakes weren’t what I’d first assumed. It worked, however. Neil came up just after and used the kill switch on NJ.”

There was a long moment of silence and Jack held his breath, not daring to meet Ianto’s eyes.

“So you had sex with a robot who then tried to kill you,” Ianto surmised in a slow voice, not sounding the least bit upset. Jack looked up at him and found his lips quirking just a little. “Can I give you some advice?”

Jack nodded, not quite able to believe Ianto was taking this so well. But, this was Ianto Jones he was talking about. His gorgeous, brilliant Ianto who continued to surprise him day after day.

“Whatever you do, never, _ever_ tell Owen about this.”

Jack laughed, relief crashing over him that also brought a wave of tears. He reached up and cupped Ianto’s face, bringing him in to press their foreheads together.

“Ianto, what would I ever do without out you?”

“I shudder at the thought,” Ianto murmured, before closing the distance between them to kiss him, slowly but firmly.

When they pulled apart, everything within him had settled and he could breathe properly again. The last weeks of being on the run, hiding in the shadows, and working from the outside drained away as he exhaled. He’d fallen back on old habits, thinking he could do it all alone and once again had ended up realising he needed his team at his back. Together they were stronger. It would be dangerous, but they would take the Committee down. One way or another.

“I’m so glad to be going home,” he murmured, fantasising about a hot shower and dry, warm bed sheets. Even better a shower and bed sheets with Ianto in them.

“I’m glad you finally came to your senses as well.” Ianto put the car back into gear and pulled back onto the road. However, once they were on their way again, he cast Jack a quick, concerned look. “But seriously, about the murderous sex robot? Don’t tell Owen.”


End file.
